Award for Experiential and Active Learning Initiatives

The Schulich School of Engineering Strategic Plan acknowledges the importance of fostering teaching and learning excellence to best nurture student and faculty success. The school already recognizes outstanding teaching at the annual holiday awards ceremony with the departmental Teaching Excellence Awards. In Fall 2018, two award categories were added to complement these existing awards. The Award for Experiential and Active Learning Initiatives (up to 4) acknowledges teaching excellence and innovations in diverse learning contexts.

General Eligibility

The Award for Experiential and Active Learning Initiatives will be awarded annually. The awards recognize the teaching excellence of an individual who is a full-time academic staff member on Continuing, Contingent, Limited-Term or Sessional appointment at the Schulich School of Engineering, or a team with a minimum of two people, including full-time faculty members, sessional instructors, technical/support staff, teaching assistants, or students within the SSE. No individual may receive the same award within a three-year period (excluding awards they may receive as part of a group). Not all awards need be conferred each year, depending on whether qualifying nominations are received.

Award Criteria

Nominees should exemplify characteristics of excellence that cross teaching and learning contexts. Each award will be assessed based on the evidence provided in the nomination package that relates to the nominees’ demonstrated ability to meet one or more of the following:

• Design and implement effective teaching innovations that set challenging and clear expectations (teaching innovations include but are not limited to experiential learning opportunities, work-integrated learning, online learning initiatives, course re-development, curriculum development)
• Actively engage students in learning experiences
• Challenge learners to develop their critical thinking and independent learning abilities through experiential learning.
• Demonstrate effort to work from evidence-based rationale, best-practices, and literature
• Use a real-world experience of applying or creating knowledge to motivate students’ interest and learning and establish relevance of subject matter.

Nomination deadline is February 1, 2023 at 11:59 p.m.

If you have any questions, please email sseawards@ucalgary.ca.